A Japanese producer of industrial robots has taught one of its machines to wield the famous samurai sword—by having it learn and mimic the moves of Isao Machii, a renowned Japanese swordsman.
Using motion-capture technology often used to create special effects for motion pictures, researchers at Yaskawa Electric Corp. tracked the sword-handling prowess of Machii and programmed his moves into one of their robots, the Motoman-MH24.
They analyzed Machii's sword handling in 3D before programming the robot to duplicate the moves in what they've dubbed their "Yaskawa Bushido Project," celebrating the company's centennial.
Machii is a renowned practitioner of a Japanese sword style known as Iaijyutsu,and he holds a number of Guinness World Records for his skill with the katana sword, including "Fastest 1,000 martial arts sword cuts."
He has also demonstrated an almost inhuman—shall we say robotic?—ability to slice objects fired at him at high speed, including BB gun pellets, tennis balls, baseball and shrimp.
The "thousand cuts" is one of the tasks featured in a YouTube video of Machii and Motoman-MH24 performing together, and whereas Machii was visibly winded and perspiring at the end of his thousand cuts, the robot was ready for more—as you would expect from a machine.
The robot also demonstrated its talent at slicing though fruit and flowers, precisely and with consummate ease, using an ancient and authentic Edo Period katana sword.
If you find the concept of a sword-wielding robot a little uncomfortable, don't worry; robots can be programmed to handle cutlery in a less threatening fashion.
In April, a British company introduced a robotic chef capable of preparing meals from scratch.
Wonder if it can do sushi?
